Our Amazing Peruvian Adventure: Second Stop, Cusco!

We woke up early in order to meet Anna in the hotel lobby. She would escort us to our airport gate where we would fly from Lima to Cusco. Since it had become clear to Phil and I that our fancy trip was even more fancy than we’d thought it would be (read the prologue and part 1 here), complete with private driver and guide, I jokingly referred to Anna as our handler. She wasn’t our driver or our guide but assisted the driver with shuttling us to and from destinations, engaging in conversation and educating us on Peru.

We had been chugging water all morning in anticipation of our trip to Cusco. Cusco, formerly the capital of the Inca Empire, is located in the Andes Mountains, at 11,000 feet of elevation. Denver is at 6,000 feet. The first time I visited my cousin, Hannah, in Denver, I had a horrible headache the day after we arrived (results of the altitude). I was unaware at that time that in high altitudes, the key is to hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate. For every caffeinated or alcoholic beverage you consume, have double the water they said (and its true!).

I was indeed a little nervous about the altitude and its effects, having lived at or near sea level all of my life. There are products one can purchase that claim to aid with prevention of altitude sickness, even a couple of prescription medications, but I had read that in rapid ascent situations, simply taking ibuprofen can significantly reduce incidence of altitude sickness.

So there we were, chugging water and downing ibuprofen in anticipation of our arrival. We had also been advised by Anna and several other folks we’d encountered, to eat very lightly and not drink alcohol on our first day as the high altitude will slow digestion.

Anna reminded us of these points as Andres, our driver, maneuvered through the crazy traffic of Lima. Upon arrival, Anna walked us into the airport, handing us our tickets and ensuring we were in the correct line. She informed us she could not go any further with us and she watched us like a mother as we weaved through the line, calling to us to stay together.

As we boarded the plane and settled into our seats, we realized that Belmond (our hotel and tour company) purchased the seat between us; Phil had the window and I the isle, just like we like. Luxurious indeed.

We arrived in Cusco and met our new handler, Joseph, and our driver, Victor. Both were very nice fellows who welcomed us warmly and seemed genuinely excited to have us visiting their city. Snacks and water were waiting for us along with lime candies they said would help with the altitude. We were feeling OK but certainly could sense the change. As we’d exited the plane and made our way up a slight incline, I felt a bit winded and could feel my heart beating faster than it should for such a minute excursion.

A short ride later we arrived at Hotel Monasterio, a former monastery from the 16th century. We were seated in the beautiful courtyard and given cups of coca tea to help with altitude adjustment. Coca leaves have religious, nutritional, and cultural uses throughout Peru. They are also what cocaine is made from, and while the leaves have a minuscule amount of stimulant in them (it gave me less energy than a cup of coffee), it makes sense that the minor stimulant would aide in respiration and opening the brochioles in the lungs, allowing one to take in more oxygen (start talking cocaine, and look who becomes a scientist all of a sudden. Oh shut up).

As we sipped our tea, we gazed at the 300-year old-Andean Cedar Tree that majestically watches over the courtyard. We were told by the hotel staff, that it is the last Andean Cedar in Peru. We also struck up a conversation with the British couple seated behind us. They had been in Cusco for a few days and had already traveled to and from Machu Picchu. We asked them if they had climbed either mountain at Machu Picchu and they said they did not. They were quick to say that if they were 15 years younger they would have, and that we certainly should if we were planning on it. I seriously doubt they were 15 years older than us, but appreciated the encouragement nonetheless.

After we settled into our room and changed clothes, we were off to meet our tour guide in the hotel lobby. Jose Arturo, or just Arturo, he told us to call him, was to be our guide for the remainder of our time in Cusco and the Sacred Valley, including Machu Picchu.

Our initial half day tour with Arturo kept us in Cusco, checking out a few of the historic sites. We walked to yet another monastery and on to the grand cathedral. There was also a lot going on in the main town square; with singers and dancers in traditional garb.

Arturo explained that the Spanish (and interestingly the Inca before them), in order to convert the Inca(and the pre-Inca tribes) to their religion, Catholicism (Incan religion), often made their churches and holy sites at Incan holy sites. Over generations, people would remember the site as sacred, but the reason why it was sacred shifted. Thus, the Temple of the Sun, later became a Cathedral. Arturo further explained that most people in the area adhere to Catholicism blended with traditional Inca religious customs.

The Cathedral was interesting. We’ve seen many European Catholic churches in our travels, and the artistic differences between European churches and the Peruvian church were noticeable. The holy spirit, usually depicted as a dove in European Catholic art, is typically seen from the side, and even if it is seen with a full wingspan, is not the focal point of the painting. In many of the paintings in the Cathedral in Cusco, the dove was the main focal point, always with bright beams of sunlight around it. Arturo explained that the native artists tasked with replicating European Catholic art, would throw in subtle nods to their traditional, Inca religion. The sun god was of utmost importance, hence the bright beams of sun around the holy spirit. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos in the cathedral (though I did snap one of an alter, above). We saw additional representations of the native spin on catholic art later in our travels (more photos to come).

After our walkabout downtown, Victor, our driver, picked us up and we headed up toward Sacsayhuaman, a cultural site famous for its Inca stoneworks, that sat above Cusco. Arturo pronounced many Inca words to us that I could not repeat, but Sacsayhuaman, sounds like “Sexy Woman,” so it was easy to remember. See the big stones!

We left Sacsayhuaman, heading back down, into Cusco, when Arturo said we were going to make one more quick stop. We drove through a guarded gate to a lovely area overlooking the city. There were some art installations outside (very odd, like the one below) and above us on the hill, a wedding party was starting to celebrate at a large open air hall.

We were led out onto a beautiful terraced seating area with a spectacular view of the city. If this weren’t enough, a waiter brought us out Pisco punch (I guess a little alcohol on the first day would be OK) followed by several courses of amuse-bouche, or one-bite, food tastings.

We tried Peruvian causa, a cold dish with potatoes, avocado, and fish that tasted a lot like potato salad and the Spanish dish esaladilla rusa. Next was lomo saltado, a beef dish marinated in soy (there is a lot of Chinese influence in cuisine) with peppers. Then ceviche, followed by a layered dessert that taste quite like tiramisu with a little pisco in the bottom. It was wonderful and such a surprise.

After, we descended the hill and Victor and Arutro dropped us off at the hotel. They would return in the morning for our full tour of the Sacred Valley. We relaxed in the room for a bit, tired from our day of travel and tour.

Figuring we should probably eat a little something for dinner, but not wanting to venture out again, we perused the room service menu. We ordered an intriguing cabbage-centered dish and local trout, trying to keep it lite as we’d been advised.

When the food arrived, it was not only beautiful, but two of the hotel staff entered and set up our table to look like a fine dining restaurant. One of the men knew the traditional Inca language and gave us a beautiful sounding blessing before leaving us to our spectacular meal, which was complimented by a small desert platter and dumplings, both gifts from the chef.